100 Years Ago Today

[Jimbuna]

18th March 1916

Western Front

German attacks at Verdun slows down. French report attributes it to the “curtain of fire” created by French artillery.

Eastern Front

First battle of Lake Naroch begins.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Prince of Wales arrives in Egypt as Staff Captain.

British troops report successes against the Ottomans and their allies near Aden and the western Egyptian frontier.

Aviation

Allies bomb Zeebrugge.

German ace Ernst Udet scores his first kill.


Naval and Overseas Operations

British drive enemy from Ruwu river (East Africa).

Political etc.

Royal Defence Corps formed.

Members of the German Reichstag urge the continuation of unrestricted submarine warfare against the British.

Ship Losses:

HMT Ameer (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was lost on this date.
City of Midland (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was destroyed by fire at Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Lowlands (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 8 nautical miles (15 km) north east by east of North Foreland, Kent by a Kaiserliche Marine submarine UC 7 (Georg Haag).
Palembang (Netherlands) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 10 (Alfred Nitzscheand) sank in the North Sea (51°50′45″N 1°58′30″E).

Renaudin (French Navy) The Bisson-class destroyer was torpedoed and sunk in the Adriatic Sea off Dürres, Albania (41°17′N 19°22′E) by SM U-6 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy).

[Sailor Steve]

March 18, 1916:
　
Air War:
1710 Six days after nearly being killed by a French bullet that tore his goggles off. German pilot Ernst Udet, flying Fokker E.III 105/16, shoots down a Farman F.40 for his first victory. There were 24 French aircraft in the formation, and Udet managed to bring down one before his gun jammed. Pilot MdLt. Edouard Leroy went down with his aircraft while observer Cpt. Emile Victor Bacon fell to his death.

English pilot Frederick James Harry Thayer and observer C.R. Davidson, in a BE.2c, shoot down an attacking Eindecker for their first victory.



North Sea:
His Majesty's Trawler Ameer, 216 tons, and British freighter SS Lowlands, 1,789 tons, both hit mines laid by Georg Haag in UC-7, bringing his score to 11 ships and 22,552 tons.
　
Dutch freighter SS Palembang, 6,674 tons, bound from Rotterdam to Batavia, hits a mine laid by Alfred Nitzsche in UC-10. His score is now 9 ships and 18,880 tons.



Adriatic Sea:
Hugo von Falkhausen, commanding Austrian U-6, torpedoes French destroyer Renaudin, 756 tons, off Durazzo (modern Durrës, Albania). Though he will survive the war (and the next one, living until 1965), this will be von Falkhausen's only sinking.

[Jimbuna]

19th March 1916

Western Front

Battle of Verdun: Germans repulsed at Poivre Hill.

Eastern Front

Russian success north-west of Uscieczko (River Dniester).

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Russians enter Ispahan.

Sir A. Murray succeeds Sir J. Maxwell in Egypt.

Aviation

Heavy aircraft activity is reported over the Western Front. France loses four warplanes, while Germany loses three.

Air raid on Kent.


Political etc.

King George authorizes the formation of the Royal Defense Corps, which will provide security and guard duties inside Britain.

Prince of Wales Edward is appointed staff captain to the Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean expeditionary force.

Romania summons all men who were exempted in previous years from military service back to the colors, as the country prepares for war.

Italian Cabinet comes under criticism for its economic and financial policies, but survives a vote of confidence 394 to 61.

Ship Losses:

Kanawha (United States) The cargo ship foundered in the Atlantic Ocean off Charleston, South Carolina with the loss of seven of her crew.
Nominoe (France) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea off Lowestoft, Suffolk, United Kingdom by SM UB-29 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Port Dalhousie (Canada) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) off the Kentish Knock Lightship ( United Kingdom) by SM UB-10 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of nineteen of her crew.
HMT Valpa (Royal Navy) The naval trawler struck a mine laid by UC 7 (Georg Haag) and sank in the North Sea off Spurn Point, Yorkshire with the loss of three of her crew.

[Sailor Steve]

March 19, 1916:
　
Air War:
1300 German ace Oswald Boelke,flying the 160-hp two-gun Fokker E.IV, shoots down a Farman two-seater for victory number 12.
　
German pilot Ernst von Althaus, in a Fokker E.III, downs a Caudron G.4 for victory number 4.
　
French pilot Albert Deullin, flying a Nieuport 10, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 2
　
French pilot René Doumer, flying a Caudron two-seater with an unnamed observer, brings down an LVG two-seater for victory number 1
　
French ace Jean Navarre, in his Nieuport 11, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 7.



North Sea:
Reinhold Saltzwedel, new commander of UB-10, begins his career with the sinking of Canadian freighter SS Port Dalhousie, 1,744 tons, bound from Middlesbrough for Nantes with a load of steel billets.

Herbert Pustkuchen, in his first patrol in new command UB-29, torpedoes French freighter SS Nominoe, 3,155 tons, riding at anchor off Lowestoft while on a voyage from Rouen to Newcastle in ballast. Pustkuchen's score is now 22 ships and 29,996 tons.

His Majesty's Trawler Valpa, 230 tons, his a mine laid by Georg Haag in UC-7, bringing his score to 12 ships and 22,782 tons.

Norwegian freighter SS Scotland, 1,490 tons, is wrecked off the southeast side of the Isle of May.



German East Africa:
HMS Severn carries an exploratory group to Mwambani Harbour. At 0628 the monitor anchors and lowers boats for the observation. At 0855 the 1st motor boat and gig are examining the shoreline when enemy troops on the mainland open fire. The boats withdraw without casualties and return to the ship with detailed information. At 1040 Severn departs Mwambani Bay with the second motorboat an gig following. At 1122 the monitor achors off Yamba Island to take the boats and troops back aboard.

[Jimbuna]

20th March 1916

Western Front

Verdun: Germans attack Avocourt-Malancourt line and enter Avocourt Wood (south-west of Bethincourt).

German aeroplanes drop smoke bombs next to French artillery so that German counter-battery fire can better target them.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Naval engagement in North Sea between four British and three German torpedo boats.

Aviation

65 British and French aeroplanes bombard the German naval and air base at Zeebrugge, dropping a total of 5 tons of bombs.

Political etc.

Recruiting conference at War Office.

U.S. Department of Commerce estimates 2000 merchant vessels of all nations have been sunk, captured, or detained since the war’s start.

Ship Losses:

Ginette (French Navy) The naval trawler struck a mine laid by UC 14 (Franz Beckerand) and sank in the Ionian Sea off Corfu, Greece.
Langeli (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the North Sea 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) south south east of the Corton Lightship ( United Kingdom) by SM UB-29 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
Skodsborg (Denmark) The cargo ship was sunk in the North Sea 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) south south east of the Corton Lightship ( United Kingdom) by SM UB-29 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three of her crew.

[Sailor Steve]

March 20, 1916:

Air War:
Russian pilot Eduard Pulpe, flying an unnamed Nieuport, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 3. Pulpe had two kills in 1915, but the exact dates are unavailable.


　
North Sea:
Herbert Pustkuchen, commanding UB-29, sinks Norwegian freighter SS Langeli, 1,565 tons. bound from Rouen to Blyth in ballast; and Danish freighter SS Skodsborg, 1,697 tons, carrying a load of oil cake from New Orleans to Helsingborg. His score is now 24 ships and 33,258 tons.
　
Swedish barque SV Flora, 467 tons, carrying a load of pit props from Arenal to Middlesbrough, is wrecked off Whitby.


　
Mediterranean Sea:
French trawler Ginette, 272 tons, hits a mine laid by Franz Becker, new commander of UC-14.

[Jimbuna]

21st March 1916

Western Front

At Verdun, German troops stop their advance to regroup after yesterday’s successes. Heavy artillery exchanges continue.

Eastern Front

Russian offensive on the northern front; Dvina crossed in force near Jacobstadt.

Russian success on River Dniester.

Naval and Overseas Operations

British forces take the city of Arusha, near Mount Kilimanjaro, in German East Africa.

Aviation

Captain-Commandant of the United States Coast Guard Ellsworth P. Bertholf orders Coast Guard experimentation with the use of aircraft and directs Third Lieutenant Elmer F. Stone to begin flight training. It is the birth of U.S. Coast Guard aviation.
http://www.uscg.mil/history/people/Elmer_Stone.asp

Political etc.

French, British, Russian, Belgian, & Serbian artists meet in Florence & agree to prevent “the infiltration of Teutonic artistic influence.”

Ship Losses:

Aranmore (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 24 nautical miles (44 km) off Eagle Island, County Mayo by SM U-43 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
HMS E24 (Royal Navy) The E-class submarine was last reported in the Heligoland Bight on this date. Believed to have subsequently struck a mine and sank with the loss of all 30 crew.

[Sailor Steve]

March 21, 1916:
The French Air Department authorizes the official formation of Escadrille N.124. Nicknamed Escadrille Américaine, the unit consists mostly of American pilots who want to fight for the Allies. The group will operate under this name until December, when protests from Germany will prompt the name-change to Escadrille Lafayette.


　
Air War:
1115 German ace Oswald Boelcke, flying a Fokker E.IV, shoots down a Farman two-seater for victory number 13.
　
Russian pilot Viktor Federov, flying a Caudron G.4 for the French, and observer Pierre Lanero shoot down a German two-seater. Victory number 2 for both.
　
German pilot Bruno Loerzer, in a Fokker E.III, downs a Farman two-seater for his first victory.


　
Ireland:
Hellmuth Jürst, commanding U-43, captures British freighter SS Aranmore, 1,050 tons. bound frmo Limerick to Glasgow, and sinks her with a torpedo just off Eagle Island on the west coast of Ireland.


　
Skagerrak:
Norwegian coaster SS Urd II, 216 tons, travelling from Engene to Ålvik with a general cargo, founders off Torungen.


　
Baltic Sea:
German freighter SS Sperber, 1,265 tons, carrying a load of coke from Bremen to Oxelösund, runs aground at Havringe Island.

[Jimbuna]

22nd March 1916

Western Front

Battle of Verdun: Germans gain a footing on Haucourt Knoll, south-west of Malancourt.

Eastern Front

Russian success at Lake Naroch: 1,000 prisoners reported.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Jebel el Hella (Darfur) occupied by Colonel Kelly's force.

Naval

British Q-Ship (decoy vessel) HMS Farnborough lures the German Submarine SM U-68 and sinks it. All 38 crew members are killed.

Political etc.

Mr. Pemberton Billing attacks the air service in House of Commons.

Central Tribunal for Great Britain set up.

British War Office announces that the military age limit will soon be increased to men 45-years old.

24-year-old Lieutenant J.R.R. Tolkien marries Edith Bratt (the future author will be sent to the front in June):


Ship Losses:

Bougainville (France) The barque was shelled and sunk in the Irish Sea 6 nautical miles (11 km) south of the Coningsby Lightship ( United Kingdom) (51°39′N 6°36′W) by SM U-70 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Kelvinbank (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel off Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France (49°27′N 3°27′W) by SM UB-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
SM U-68 (Kaiserliche Marine) The Type U 66 submarine was shelled, depth charged and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean (51°54′N 10°53′W) by HMS Farnborough ( Royal Navy and sank with the loss of all 38 crew.

[Sailor Steve]

March 22, 1916:

Celtic Sea:
Otto Wünsche, commanding U-70, stops French barque SV Bougainville, 2,248 tons, bound from San Francisco for Runcorn with a load of barley, and sinks her with his deck gun. Wünsche's score is now 24 ships and 18,808 tons.



English Channel:
Otto Steinbrinck, in UB-18, sinks British freighter SS Kelvinbank, 4,209 tons, carrying a load of frozen meat from Buenos Aires to Le Havre. His score is now 31 ships and 31,684 tons.



Ireland:
U-68 is on station off the west coast of Ireland for her first war patrol. Her new captain, Ludwig Güntzel, sights a freighter and fires a torpedo, barely missing. Güntzel then surfaces and fires a warning shot. Q-ship HMS Farnborough, under Gordon Campbell, drops her disguise and opens fire on the u-boat. One depth charge and several shots later U-68 sinks with all 38 of her crew.



German East Africa:
British ships conduct a bombardment operation against the railway station at Tanga. Involved are old pre-dreadnought battlship HMS Vengeance, monitor HMS Severn and old 2nd-class cruiser HMS Hyacinth. Supporting are gunboats Charon and Styx.

[Jimbuna]

23rd March 1916

Western Front

British extended to include Souchez.

German artillery pound French lines at Malancourt, Béthincourt, Le Mort Homme, and Cumières.

Eastern Front

German concentration at Dvinsk broken up.

Naval and Overseas Operations

"Minneapolis" sunk in Mediterranean.

Political etc.

King George and other members of the Royal Family meet with wounded war veterans at Buckingham Palace.

Mr. Lloyd George speaks on Paris Economic Conference.

General Cadorna received by King George.

Military committee of the French Chamber of Deputies launch an investigation to counter German flamethrowers & develop a French version.

New Zealand sends 2000 men per month to fight on the Allied side in Europe, despite its population being a bit more than a million.

Ship Losses:

HMT Corona (Royal Navy) The naval trawler struck a mine laid by UC 6 (Matthias Graf von Schmettowand) and sank in the North Sea off Ramsgate, Kent (51°08′50″N 1°25′00″E) with the loss of thirteen of her crew.
Kannik (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel off Le Havre, Seine-Maritime (49°27′N 3°52′W) by SM UB-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Minneapolis (United Kingdom) The ocean liner was torpedoed and damaged in the Mediterranean Sea 195 nautical miles (361 km) east of Malta (36°30′N 18°22′E) by SM U-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine). She sank on 25 March with the loss of twelve lives (36°20′N 17°57′E).[13]
Sea Serpent (United Kingdom) The coaster struck a mine laid by UC 6 (Matthias Graf von Schmettowand) and sank in the English Channel off Folkestone, Kent (51°01′50″N 1°11′30″E) with the loss of fourteen of her crew.

[Sailor Steve]

March 23, 1916:
　
Air War:
French pilot Albert Edmond Mezergues, flying a Voisin two-seater with an unnamed observer, brings down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 1.



English Channel:
Otto Steinbrinck, commanding UB-18, sinks Norwegian freighter SS Kannik while the ship is riding at anchor in Le Havre Road, bringing his score to 32 ships and 24,081 tons.



North Sea:
His Majesty's Trawler Corona, 212 tons, and freighter SS Sea Serpent, 902 tons, bound from Liverpool to Dunqkerque with a load of corrugated steel sheets, both run on mines laid by Matthias von Schmettow in UC-6. His score is now 30 ships and 36,433 tons.
　
Norwegian fishing vessel Boy Thomas, 35 tons, runs aground while returning to Blomvåg from a fishing trip. Four of her crew are lost.



Mediterranean Sea:
Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, in U-35, sinks British passenger liner SS Minneapolis, 13,443 tons, travelling in ballast from Marseille to Alexandria. Von Arnauld now has 8 ships and 50,436 tons.



German East Africa:
British cruiser HMS Hyacinth, in company with gunboats Pioneer and Vengeance, stops suspect ship SS Tabora and demands access to examine papers and cargo. Tabora refuses. At 1540 Pioneer opens fire for five minutes. At 1622 Pioneer opens fire again, this time for three minutes. At 1714 fire is reopened. At 1758 Tabora is sinking. British ships depart at 1820.



Pacific Ocean:
Japanese freighter Seiko Maru, 4,207 tons, departs Port Townsend while on a trip from Tacoma to Yokohama and is not heard from again.

[Jimbuna]

24th March 1916

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

El Hassana bombed again.

Naval and Overseas Operations

"Sussex" torpedoed in Channel by SM UB-29 (at least 50 drowned). The SS Sussex only carried civilians, and further increases tensions between the U.S. and Germany.
Scene on the SS Sussex after the explosion.


Political etc.

The news that explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew has been stranded in Antarctica reaches the world.

Fourth German War Loan stated to have reached �530,000,000.

Gaelic Press offices at Dublin raided.

A session in the Russian Duma is broken up after a Conservative member blames the Jews for “betraying” Russia.

Ship Losses:

Christianssund (Denmark) The passenger ship struck a mine laid by UC 6 (Matthias Graf von Schmettow) and sank in the English Channel 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) south west of Folkestone, Kent, United Kingdom (51°01′30″N 1°11′20″E). All on board survived.
Englishman (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 30 nautical miles (56 km) north east of Malin Head, County Donegal by SM U-43 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of ten crew.
Fenay Bridge (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 54 nautical miles (100 km) west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly (49°32′N 7°43′W) by SM U-70 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Fulmar (United Kingdom) The cargo ships struck a mine laid by UC 7 (Georg Haag) and sank in the North Sea 7 nautical miles (13 km) north east of North Foreland, Kent with the loss of a crew member.
SMS G194 (Kaiserliche Marine) The destroyer was rammed and sunk in the North Sea by HMS Cleopatra ( Royal Navy).
HMY Marcella (Royal Navy) The naval yacht collided with another vessel and sank in The Downs.
Salybia (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) south west by west of Dungeness, Kent by SM UB-29 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Sussex (France) The passenger ferry was torpedoed and damaged in the English Channel by UB-29 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of at least 50 lives. She was beached at Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais. Sussex was repaired post-war and returned to service.

[Sailor Steve]

March 24, 1916:
　
Ireland:
Hellmuth Jürst, commanding U-43, sinks British freighter SS Englishman, 5,257 tons, bound from Avonmouth to Portland, Maine, with the loss of 10 lives. Jürst's score is now 2 ships and 6,307 tons.



Celtic Sea:
Otto Wünsche, in U-70, sinks British freighter SS Fenay Bridge, 3,838 tons, carrying a load of wheat from Philadelphia to Hull. His score is now 25 ships and 22,646 tons.



English Channel:
Herbert Pustkuchen, in UB-29, sinks British freighter SS Alybia, 3,352 tons, travelling from Trinidad to London with a general cargo. His score is now 25 ships and 36,610 tons. Pustkuchen also torpedoes French passenger liner SS Sussex. The ship is beached and despite the heavy damage and loss of life, and the fact that that she will not be repaired until after the war, Sussex is only counted as "damaged". Among the dead is Spanish composer and pianist Enrique Granados.

Danish freighter SS Christianssund, 1,017 tons, en route from Falmouth to Copenhagen with a load of salt and tobacco, hits a mine laid by Matthias von Schmettow in UC-6, bringing his score to 31 ships and 37,450 tons.



North Sea:
British freighter SS Fulmar, 1,270 tons, carrying a general cargo from Rotterdam to various points in the United Kingdom, hits a mine laid by Georg Haag in UC-7. Haag's score is now 13 ships and 24,052 tons.

[Jimbuna]

25th March 1916

Western Front

Battle of Verdun: German artillery active south-west of Meuse.

Naval and Overseas Operations

HMS Cleopatra, an escort of the HMS Vindex, rams the German destroyer G 194, cutting the ship in half and sinking it.


Seaplanes bomb Sylt and coast of Schleswig-Holstein. Three of the seaplanes fail to return, but the raid draws out German ships into open water. The HMS Vindex:


HMS Medusa, another escort of the HMS Vindex, collides with the HMS Laverock, and sinks.

Political etc.

UK: Military Medal instituted as a military decoration for personnel of the British Army and other services below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land.

Hugo Haase, Socialist leader in the German Reichstag: “The best patriots in all countries are those who speak for an honest peace.”

Ship Losses:

Duiveland (Netherlands) The cargo ship struck a mine UC 1 (Egon von Wernerand) and sank in the English Channel (51°33′00″N 1°42′30″E).
HMT Grateful (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was wrecked at Torr Head, County Antrim. She was salvaged in 1917, repaired and sold into merchat service in 1918.
HMT Hilary II (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was lost on this date.
HMS Medusa (Royal Navy) The Medea-class destroyer collided with HMS Laverock ( Royal Navy) in the North Sea whilst under attack by Luftstreitkrafte aircraft and sank. Her crew were rescued by HMS Laverock.
Ottomar (Russia) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 40 to 45 nautical miles (74 to 83 km) south east of the Fastnet Rock by SM U-44 ( Kaiserliche Marine).